Wisdom of the Young
by Quietly Making Noise
Summary: Part two of the Trilogy. Nayru's daughter pulls a strange child from the Lake. A little girl with a slash across her eyes sells bracelts in the market... Two generations down the line, will the wisdom of the children be enough to make the right choice?
1. After the Storm

((Disclaimer: See other stories.))  
  
After The Storm.  
  
~**Let me take you back a few years...**~  
  
Ruto blinked sluggishly and groaned. She sat, pressing her back against the stone wall, and rubbed her forehead ferociously, trying to dull the searing pain that lanced through it. She recovered slightly, enough to stand and glance fearfully over to the tank. The tank that was now filled with vibrant red water, so bright that it burned Ruto's eyes. She stifled a sob at the horror that floated on the surface of the gory scene, and stepped shakily out of the broken doorway.  
  
The Zora princess fled to the frozen water as fast as her quavering limbs would allow. Finding a crack in the ice used for fishing by the Hylians, she dove and swam swiftly to the bottom of the Lake, trying to leave it all behind. Her love was gone, cruelly ripped to pieces at the enormous shark's jaws. And it was all *her* fault. Hatred rose, swarming over the grief and pain, cold, absolute hatred against the Sheikah. All of them. Even the Sage of Shadow - it was her brat who had tipped her from the table onto the floor amongst shards of glass!  
  
Ruto propelled herself downwards, streaking through the water. She landed gracefully at the entrance to the Water Temple, but to her surprise, she could not gain entry. The familiar tingling of her powers had deserted her, along with the effervescent colour of the symbol of the Water Medallion on the back of her left hand. The image was now a dull blue, devoid of power. Ruto raised her head and screamed in a cloud of bubbles that rose through the shimmering water.  
  
***  
  
~~~~~ Ruto gave birth to her son in the summer, in her new home deep in the crevices at the bottom of the Lake. Alas for him, she did not survive the birth, but slipped into the next world to be with her Kiren forever. She died in exile, disowned by her family and the Sages, filled with hatred and remorse.  
  
The baby boy, half drowned, was pulled from the Lake by a small girl, previously unknown by the Hylians. She caught everyone's attention due to the delicate webs between her fingers, and her long, straight, blue hair. The child infiltrated Hyrule Castle, and placed the son of Princess Ruto and Kiren at the door to the nursery of the Royal Twins, Keiko and Tamasine...  
~~~~~  
  
Impa was woken by Keiko wailing. She rose and put the girl to her breast, but the child refused and seemed to be trying to communicate something. Then Impa heard it too: a plaintive cry from outside her door. She placed Keiko back in her cot, where Tamasine, her brother, awoke and stared curiously. Then Impa went to the door and opened it.  
  
Her gaze swept the passageway and then fell to the stones. A tiny baby boy lay there, wrapped carefully in a blanket, whimpering. Motherly instinct rising, Impa picked him up and looked at him, displaying the same reaction as her namesake all those years ago.  
  
The boy was blue-skinned, with wisps of red hair. If this apparent clash wasn't strange enough, his eyes were two distinct colours: in the centre, bright blue; on the outsides, silvery like the surface of a pearl.  
  
Impa mind leapt, racing back a year or two to the fateful conflict on that winter night. ~Ruto...~  
  
With Moth in the Spirit World for the next two seasons, what else could she do? Impa hugged the boy to her and placed him in the cot along with her darling twins, where he promptly fell asleep in the warmth. The twins exchanged glances, confused, and Impa sang softly as they followed suit and dropped into slumber...  
  
***  
  
Impa crept back to the bed and lay on top of the sheets, for the warmth of the season was beginning to take hold of the lands. Her mind went to work on what to do with Ruto's boy. Firstly, how had he got to be outside her door? What had happened to Ruto? Could she handle three babes?  
  
The warm sun streamed through the light drapes, giving the room a golden glow. The heaviness of the air and the heat worked its magic upon the Princess, and her lovely blue eyes flickered shut in sleep...  
  
~*~ Impa stood amongst the long grass of a field, her hair blowing in a wind that she could not feel. Her beloved Moth stood a short distance away, and Impa grinned.  
  
"Impa, how did Ruto's son wind up with us?!" he asked incredulously.  
  
Impa shrugged, "I haven't a clue. We can't just leave him, Moth, he'd die."  
  
"I know, love, I know. Can you handle three, though?"  
  
"I'll have to, won't I?"  
  
Moth smiled proudly, "That's my girl. Good luck Impa, and keep going! You're doing wonderfully; I can't wait for Winter!" With this usual sign- off, Moth's image faded, and Impa awoke... ~*~ 


	2. Anger Managment

((Disclaimer: See previous chapter.))  
  
Anger Management ~Some years later...~  
  
"Keiko, Tama, where are you?"  
  
Giggling, the twins dived into the shrubbery, peering out at the gardens where their adopted brother searched for them. The bright sunlight filtered through the leaves of the bush, and Keiko blinked rapidly as she squinted.  
  
Tamasine met his sister's eyes, and grinned mischievously. He reached up into the branches and rustled the leaves quietly. Sure enough, Toru heard and crept over, searching the surrounding bushes. Keiko silently counted to ten.  
  
"Hiiiyah!"  
  
"Ungh!"  
  
The twins sprang from the bush and pinned the boy to the grass, laughing. He wriggled and slipped free, launching himself at Tamasine with a grin and engaging in a friendly wrestling match. Keiko scrambled up and cheered both.  
  
Eventually, with a heave, Tamasine pinned Toru and sat on his stomach. Toru struggled vainly and then went limp in a mock faint. Tamasine got up and helped him upright again, grinning, "Next time, maybe, Toru."  
  
"Definitely," agreed Toru, brushing down his tunic and tucking a stray wisp of bright hair from his face.  
  
"Twins; Toru! Do you want to come to the market place with me?"  
  
The children exchanged glances, then charged up the slope to the Castle; Keiko replying in a shout, "Yes please!"  
  
The maid named Indya smiled fondly as the royal children raced each other up the slope. She shooed them along in front of her, a basket over her arm. The twins were identical in appearance: pale skinned, with slightly wavy golden hair and bright blue eyes like the summer sky. Tamasine was slightly taller, and the more outgoing of the two. Keiko was quieter and more prone to thinking, but no less adorable.  
  
And Toru... the stranger of the three, skin a blend of dull green and light blue, straight red hair and pearly ever-changing eyes. It was plain to see he was different. Yet he had grown up with the twins and was now a firm part of the family. All three were eleven years old.  
  
Indya started her round of the stalls, after lecturing the three children on where they must not enter (Back Alleys) and whom they mustn't talk to (anyone). Toru watched until she was out of sight, then rubbed his hands, "Right. We'll play Tag, and Keiko's It!"  
  
Keiko tore after her brothers as they evaded her, giggling and shouting. Intent on the game, she failed to look where she was running, and all of a sudden, fell. She landed hard on the cobbles and heard the fabric of her dress tear. She glanced back to see what she had tripped over and saw a girl, barely older than she, seated on a small rug and clutching her foot in pain.  
  
Keiko was transfixed by the sight and didn't take her eyes off the girl, even as Tamasine and Toru hauled her upright. Toru whistled as he saw the rip in her dress, "You'll be in trouble for that, Kei. Keiko?" Puzzled, he followed her gaze.  
  
The girl seemed to realise she was being stared at, and turned her head. "What?"  
  
Tamasine, less skilful at hiding his emotions, blurted, "You've got pointed ears!"  
  
"I have?"  
  
"Can't you see?" asked Toru, scornfully.  
  
"As a matter of fact, no," returned the girl, scowling. Toru reeled, and now he noticed that her eyes were sealed shut by a thin white scar running horizontally across the length of her face. Other than this, she was very pretty, clad in a patched worn-out dress, and seemed to be selling little bracelets made from coloured threads. "Why are pointed ears so different?" she enquired.  
  
"Just... I thought only Royal Family members had pointed ears," stammered Tamasine.  
  
"I think you're misinformed - unless there's some part of my family that I've never heard of before."  
  
"Did I hurt you?" inquired Keiko, shaking off her brothers' arms and sitting beside her.  
  
"No, not really. Thanks for asking. Won't you stay and talk to me? It's quite nice having someone to talk to: most of 'em walk past." She gestured to the crowds thronging the market place. Tamasine caught sight of Indya searching for them, and he whispered quickly, "Our guardian's looking for us; can we hide so we can talk more?"  
  
"You could duck behind here," suggested the girl, motioning, and they slipped behind the cloth flap she indicated. The children squashed together in the gloom of the niche, stifling giggles as they imagined Indya searching for them.  
  
Keiko elbowed Toru in the ribs as he snorted in laughter and pressed her ear to the flap, listening. She heard Indya's voice asking loudly if the girl had noticed three children around, and the girl's quiet voice in reply that she hadn't.  
  
There was a tap on the curtain, and Tamasine could stand it no longer. As they tumbled from the alcove, he burst into fits of giggles, "Heehee! If only she knew!"  
  
The girl smiled, for the first time since they'd met her. Keiko grinned and shook her hand, "Thanks... um, what's your name?"  
  
"It's Cici."  
  
"Pleased to meet you, Cici. I'm Keiko, my twin brother is Tamasine, and the other one is Toru."  
  
"Nice to meet you." Cici inclined her head politely. The boys bowed, then realised she couldn't see and grinned sheepishly.  
  
Keiko dropped down on her knees beside her, "Where are your parents?"  
  
"Dead. They were both merchants, and I was left in the care of my cousin, who makes the bracelets I sell. Here, do you want one?"  
  
Cici ran her fingers over the braids laid out neatly on the mat before her crossed legs. "Just pick one. Go ahead." She smiled encouragingly.  
  
Keiko, Tamasine and Toru each chose a bracelet, and Cici with delicate fingers helped each tie to onto their left wrist.  
  
They were talking about the market place when the boy appeared. He was older than they were, but not yet old enough to be a man, around thirteen. He had dark brown hair, and pale blue eyes. Those eyes looked down in scorn and sniggered at the blind girl and her wares, "Here, Bat. Did you make them yourself?"  
  
Keiko glared at him, "Leave her alone! How dare you call her Bat!"  
  
The boy sneered at her, "Ooooh, feisty aren't we? And who might you be?"  
  
Tamasine, sensing the danger, jumped in before Keiko could blurt out their heritage, "What's it to you, snot brain?"  
  
The boy frowned, and his grin evaporated into a snarl of anger, "I'll teach you to insult me!"  
  
He reached down swiftly and grabbed Tamasine by the tunic. Toru gave a cry and leapt up, but the boy had flung Tamasine onto the cobbles and kicked him furiously in the stomach. Tamasine doubled up, winded.  
  
Toru's eyes blazed in anger, the blueness of the outsides flaring into dominance over the calmer pearly colour. He flung himself at the boy and tackled him around the legs, bringing him heavily to the ground. The boy lashed out and beat him around the shoulders, but Toru sank his teeth into the boy's leg, and he howled in pain.  
  
Shoppers turned to stare and a couple of young men in official garb darted into the fray to try and break the two up. Keiko dashed over to Tamasine and pulled him to where Cici sat in confusion. He had recovered his breath, but he was bleeding from a head wound from the cobbles. Keiko gritted her teeth, "The nerve! You should've let me tell him who we are!"  
  
"No, Kei, he would have done something worse," gasped Tamasine, pressing a hand to his throbbing head.  
  
Cici touched Keiko's sleeve, "Who *are* you?"  
  
"We are the children of Princess Impa," replied Keiko quietly, eyes still trying to make out if Toru was winning.  
  
Cici paled, "I should not be talking with you!"  
  
"No! We too desire people to talk to; you've no idea how lonely it gets!"  
  
"Try me," murmured Cici.  
  
One of the young men stepped up, gripping Toru by the arms. He had a cut lip, and his left eye was beginning to bruise. His chest heaved in rage. The young man pushed him towards Keiko, Tamasine and Cici with a wry smile, "Here; I believe he belongs to you." He glanced around then knelt and added in an undertone, "I would have let him continue: he was winning. Nobody likes Aiden. However, I'm employed to keep the peace." He touched his forelock respectfully and strode away.  
  
"Aiden," repeated Tamasine thoughtfully.  
  
Toru began sobbing in frustration, "I'll kill him! He's an ungrateful little Wolfos pup with less brains than a Cuckoo!"  
  
Keiko, alarmed, hugged him briefly and whispered to Cici, "We'd better go. We'll be back, promise. Or come and visit us and the Castle if you like!"  
  
Cici nodded and embraced her, "I'll try."  
  
The twins pulled the still-sobbing Toru upright and scampered off to find Indya. She found them first however; seizing the twins with such a strong grip it made them jump. "How dare you!" she hissed angrily, "You caused that fuss, and brought embarrassment upon the household! You should be ashamed of yourselves! And look at that rip in your dress, Miss Keiko! You'll be punished for that, I'm sure!"  
  
Still berating them, she marched them back out of the market place and up to the Castle.  
  
*** 


	3. Many Meetings

((Disclaimer: Oh sod it; I can't be bothered anymore... ;) ))  
  
Many Meetings.  
  
Princess Impa surveyed her three children, trying to work out what she should say. Indya stood by, a look of sternness on her brown features. The twins had averted their eyes, but Toru dared to look her in the face through his good eye. Impa sighed, "I hope you realise the seriousness of your actions today. Because of your rashness the reputation of the Royal family has taken a slide down the slope."  
  
"But they all hate him!" interjected Toru quickly, "The guard told us so, didn't he?" He glanced at the twins for support.  
  
Tamasine raised his head and nodded, "It's true, mother. He said the boy's name was Aiden and that nobody likes him, didn't he Kei?"  
  
His sister nodded, keeping her eyes averted.  
  
Impa sighed again, "Whatever. The Princes and the Princess are not expected to show outbursts of anger in public. What would become of our respect if every time I got angry I took it out immediately?"  
  
The children bowed their heads, even Toru, but his stance showed Impa he was still rebellious. She continued, "As punishment you will not be allowed out in the market place until this has blown over. How long do you think it will take, Indya?" She shot a questioning look at the maid, flashing a wink.  
  
"A week? Forgive me, lady, I am not a good guesser," she replied, returning the wink.  
  
"Five days then. During that time you shall have no contact with the town. Now run along, I'm sure you have lots to think about. Toru, make sure you find some ice for that black eyes. And Keiko, make sure *you* repair that dress; Indya will show you how."  
  
The children went out, and Impa heard their voices recede along the corridor. She grinned helplessly at Indya, who tried to replace a fond smile with a frown of disapproval - and failed. She bobbed a curtsey and left, leaving Impa to go back to her letters.  
  
***  
  
"Five days!" stormed Toru, "And no contact! That means we won't see Cici for ages!" he groaned, dropping down on the steps leading to the dusty track out into the grounds, pressing a cloth full of ice to his distended eye. The swelling had subsided considerably. Keiko sat in the long grass a short distance away, plaiting a daisy chain. Tamasine stretched out on the stones of the steps, eyes closed. He appeared to be snoozing.  
  
Keiko threaded the ends of the chain together, held the circlet up to the sunlight and considered. Toru was flinging little stones at the butterflies, and she was about to chide him for it when a thought leapt into her head, "Hey... Mother said 'no contact with the town' right?"  
  
Tamasine flicked one eye open, "Yup."  
  
Keiko grinned to herself. Toru flicked a small piece of gravel at her head, "What's so funny?"  
  
"Don't you see? She didn't say anything about *further* than the town..."  
  
Tamasine cottoned on, "Ah! So we could still go to, say, Lon Lon Ranch, because it's not in Town!"  
  
"Right!"  
  
Tamasine ran from the steps, seized circlet and placed it on his sister's golden-haired head, "You little genius!"  
  
Toru joined them and outlined a quick plan of action, "Right, there's still at least five hours of sunlight left, so we'll dress normally and go out the back, creep around to Hyrule Field and go see Marion at the Ranch. OK?"  
  
The twins nodded their agreement and all scampered off to change their clothes.  
  
***  
  
Toru peeked cautiously around the doorway set in the stone wall of the garden boundaries. The patrol had just turned the corner, and as they clinked away with a shout of laughter, he darted through the opening and sped across the grass. The twins followed suit, Keiko thoughtfully closing the little gate after her.  
  
They hid in a bush until the next patrol passed, and then ran onwards, around the Castle walls and onto the vast greenness of Hyrule Field. They made it around the front of the Castle, and slowed their pace as they followed the dirt path that lead to the Ranch. Keiko was babbling excitedly about seeing Zephyr - the adolescent foal of Eiry. In plain clothes, no one could have realised their heritage.  
  
Tamasine suddenly stopped and shot a glance towards the patch of long coarse grass. Toru walked into him from behind, "Hey! What's u--" He followed his brother's gaze. Tamasine gestured to him, and the two boys crept around on opposite sides of the patch. Keiko shivered.  
  
"Hiiiiyah!"  
  
"Aaaargh!"  
  
"Unnh!"  
  
The figure concealed in the grass sprang up as the boys leapt on him, and kicked out at Toru. His kick connected and Toru was thrown backwards. He landed with a thud in the grass and groaned.  
  
Tamasine had attached himself to the figure's back and was clawing and biting furiously. The figure wrestled with his legs, trying to detach him. As he was pulled off, Tamasine grabbed the figure's hood and ripped it from his face.  
  
Keiko, watching in fright, gasped in astonishment, "Aiden! Why were you following us?!"  
  
The boy glared at her, his long hair falling over his face where the hood had been, "To get you back for almost beating me up! It's the weird one I want: where's the one with skin like a dead fish?"  
  
Toru stood up, his eyes glinting in anger. He didn't speak; Aiden turned and saw him, and sneered, "You're dead, fishy."  
  
Aiden charged. Toru waited until he was almost on top of him, then spun on the ball of his left foot and drove the right foot into Aiden's stomach. Aiden stumbled, winded, and Toru jumped on him and began punching and kicking relentlessly. Keiko and Tamasine watched from a short distance away, not daring to help in case Toru turned his rage on them.  
  
Suddenly, Toru was hauled from his battering by a strong hand, and Aiden was pushed backwards, dropping down onto the grass. Keiko shouted, "Hey, Tobias!"  
  
Marion's father, owner of Lon Lon Ranch, gave her a slight nod, then shook Toru lightly, "What was all that about?" he asked in strong tones.  
  
Tamasine intervened, "Aiden called him a dead fish, and in the market place he insulted our friend."  
  
"Yeah. And *he* wanted to fight, not me!" added Toru, spinning gently in Tobias' grip.  
  
Tobias set Toru down in the grass. He turned to Aiden, who was trying to staunch the flow of blood from his nose. "If what I hear here and down in the village is true, then you have no business to pester these children. Now be off with you, before I personally kick you off my lands."  
  
Aiden glared at him, and then slunk away, towards the Gerudo Fortress. Tobias watched him go, then let out his breath in a sigh, "Got to watch that one. He hasn't always been that unpleasant. It only started when his parents died and the Exalted Nabooru took him in..." He turned back to the children, and ruffled Toru's red hair fondly, "I suppose you're here to play with our Marion?"  
  
Keiko nodded, and the three of them followed him up the slope.  
  
***  
  
Marion and her mother were out in the paddock, training the snowy white mare named Zephyr. Keiko broke away from her brothers and ran out to meet them. Marion grinned, her coppery hair flashing in the sun as she hugged Keiko warmly, "Hiya Kei!!"  
  
Toru and Tamasine raced each other to the pen, Tamasine winning by a footstep. Marion waved, "Hi guys!!" Marion's mother Alys smiled and, noticing Tobias' waving, exited the paddock to the house.  
  
Tamasine petted the sleek pelt of the young mare, wondering at the silkiness of it. Marion grinned playfully, "Anyone fancy riding her?"  
  
Toru smiled and shook his head, having something of a fear for horses. Keiko's eyes lit up, and she could hardly squeak, "Yes please!" fast enough. Tamasine gave her a leg up and Marion gave the mare a gentle pat on the rear to get her moving.  
  
The twins had been taught to ride bare back, and Keiko was the best between them, much as Tamasine tried to disguise it. He pulled himself onto another bronze-coloured horse and urged him after his sister. Toru stood back and watched as Tamasine drew closer, then clearly heard him shout, "Race you around the track!"  
  
Keiko made no reply, but Toru and Marion heard her "Yah!" as she spurred Zephyr on. The twins engaged in a furious race around the track, the horses feeling the element of competition in the riders and striving harder. They passed the place where Toru and Marion stood in a cloud of dust, and Toru grinned and gave a whoop of encouragement.  
  
Marion studied him as the twins began the second lap, "You're bleeding!" she exclaimed.  
  
Toru ran his tongue over his lips and tasted the steely blood, "Oh, yeah..." He wiped his mouth on the hand of his hand and gazed at the red trail.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Fight..."  
  
"With who?" The farm girl's brown eyes widened curiously.  
  
"Aiden."  
  
"Did you hurt him?" asked Marion eagerly.  
  
Toru's eyes widened, "Does everybody hate him?"  
  
"Mostly."  
  
"Wow..."  
  
They watched the race in silence for a while.  
  
***  
  
Keiko and Tamasine tore around the corner and pounded down to the finish line, their horses literally running side by side. Tamasine glanced up and caught the challenge in his sister's gaze. He *would* win this time...  
  
As they leapt over the final fence and raced towards the finish, Tamasine's horse stumbled. Riding bare back, he had no stirrups to cling to, and so the jolt unseated him. He fell onto the packed earth with a sickening thud and the crack of a breaking bone. Keiko screamed, "Tam!"  
  
She tugged on Zephyr's mane to make her stop, but the mare had already sensed something was wrong and slowed anyway. Marion and Toru ran to the entrance of the paddock and around the track to Tamasine's limp form. He had passed out with the force of the impact and the pain of a broken arm. The white bone jutted out awkwardly from his arm; blood was everywhere. Marion ran as fast as she could to fetch her parents, and Toru tried to revive him by shouting his name over and over again.  
  
Keiko trotted up on a disturbed Zephyr, dropped to the ground and turned pale at the sight of Tamasine's arm. Toru ripped a length from his tunic and tried to mop up the blood. Tamasine revived slightly and sobbed in pain as Tobias and Alys ran over, Alys carrying bandages...  
  
***  
  
A sorry troop of children rode back to Hyrule Castle later that evening. Alys accompanied them, carrying Tamasine on her grey horse, Raku. Toru and Keiko shared Zephyr. Alys had mended Tamasine's broken arm as best she could, and strapped it up in a splint. He wore it in a cloth sling around his neck now, a dull pain throbbing with each step the horse took.  
  
Keiko was horrified. The sight of Tamasine's broken arm still haunted her, and dread mounted in her stomach when she thought of what her mother would say. They shouldn't have been there anyway. That was the worst part. Toru sat behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist, silent.  
  
They crossed the drawbridge, and Alys lead the horses up to the castle. The guards met them and escorted them through, and Alys left them outside the door to Impa's study... 


	4. Moonlight

Moonlight.  
  
"Come in."  
  
The children glanced at each other, and then Keiko pushed open the door. They stepped inside and Toru closed it behind them. Their mother stood beside the window; the last rays of light glinted across her body. The children came forwards until they stood before the desk, their faces illuminated by the sunlight.  
  
Impa spoke without looking at them, "I cannot tell you how... disappointed I am with you. I thought I could trust you to remain here. I congratulate you on finding the flaw with your punishment; however, I thought you would know better."  
  
Keiko lowered her head and fought the tears. It was worse than she had imagined. The disappointment was unbearable: it filled the room and made the brightness of the sunlight seem glaring and painful. She could not bear to look at her mother.  
  
"And now you have... for want of a better word, *paid* for your actions. I did not wish you to be hurt - what mother would? However, that is why I devised the punishment. What would your father say?"  
  
Tamasine felt his father's presence in the room, wearing the same grim expression. He too lowered his head right down to his chest. His own blood soaked the material of his plain tunic.  
  
Toru winced at the mention of the twin's father. This was something he had been meaning to ask Keiko, Tam, anyone. Aiden had called him "the one with skin like a dead fish". Toru had been contemplating where his skin came from. And his hair. And his eyes. He knew he was adopted - but he didn't know who his real parents were. Aiden's insult had fired up this desire to know within him again.  
  
"I think you should go to bed and think about your actions today..." said Impa at last, after an uncomfortably long pause. The twins backed out silently. Toru lingered, gathering the courage to speak.  
  
"Mother... Lady Impa. You spoke of 'father'."  
  
Impa turned to face him, and Toru was startled to see her eyes shine with unshed tears. He took a deep breath, "Who are my parents?"  
  
There was another silent pause. Somewhere in a dark forest, a Wolfos howled to the moon.  
  
Impa turned to face the window again and her shoulders rose and fell in a deep sigh. Toru came closer and rested his hands on the desk.  
  
"You are made of three threads, Toru," she said at last, "Zora, Gerudo, and Hylian. Zora because your mother was the Princess of the Zora. Gerudo and Hylian because your father was my half-brother: spawn of my mother and Ganondorf."  
  
Toru was silent for a moment. Then he whispered quietly, "You killed him... didn't you?"  
  
Impa came around the desk and knelt beside him, "Yes. He killed my father. I was only a little child at the time, and what he did destroyed a part of me. He had to die so that I might avenge my father's death."  
  
"I don't belong here," murmured Toru softly, "I remind you of him, don't I?" He ran a hand through his tangled red hair and blinked back tears. Impa drew him onto her knees and embraced him; "I love you as my son, Toru. You belong here as much as Kei and Tam." The tears began to flow, and Toru wept uncontrollably into her shoulder.  
  
Impa rocked him for a moment and then stood him upright, "Come here, Toru. Let me show you something."  
  
She led him across the room to a full-length mirror. She made him stand in front of it, and lifted a section of his hair, "See your ears?"  
  
"Pointed," breathed Toru.  
  
Impa smiled, "Only Royal family members have pointed ears. Except the Kokiri, but theirs are more subtle."  
  
A though suddenly darted through Toru's had, "Mother... can you tell me anything about a little girl who can't see because her eyes were slashed?"  
  
"Why'd you ask?"  
  
"We met this girl in the marketplace. She had pointed ears like mine and yours."  
  
Impa breathed out slowly and deliberately, "I recall something... Get to bed, Toru - you must be shattered. I'll look up my hunch and tell you in the morning." She kissed the top of his head. "Run along now. But, Toru... Don't think I'm any less disappointed with you than I am with Keiko and Tamasine..."  
  
***  
  
Keiko and Tamasine were lying in their separate beds, waiting for Toru as he slipped back into their joint chamber. They watched him as he came in; there was an awkward silence.  
  
"Toru... what was that about?" asked Keiko gently.  
  
"Nothing..."  
  
"It must have been something - you've been crying, haven't you?" insisted Tamasine getting up and approaching him.  
  
Toru whirled around, eyes blazing, "Don't talk to me about it, please!"  
  
"Why not? You're supposed to be our brother - we don't keep secrets from you so why should you keep them from us?" Tamasine shot back. Toru sighed angrily and made for the dresser, but Tamasine grabbed his arm.  
  
Toru was powerless to the wave of anger that swept through him. He wrenched his arm away and gave Tamasine a shove. The boy tripped on the rug and fell backwards with a muted cry of pain as his injured arm twisted. Keiko jumped up, but Toru was lost - he stormed across the room and leapt onto the windowsill. He stood and pulled himself onto the roof, and as Keiko ran to the window to try and catch him, he scrambled over the rooftop and away into the night. Keiko hung out of the window, squinting into the darkness of a starless night.  
  
There was a pause. Keiko, straining her ears, could just make out the crash as tiles landed on the ground, and then a muffled thump as Toru joined them. Listening harder still, she heard the north gate creak as he fled the Castle. She turned back to her brother and helped him upright gingerly, avoiding his broken arm. Tamasine's eyes were bright with tears of pain and regret.  
  
"I shouldn't have said that," he murmured, as they crossed the room to the window again.  
  
Keiko was silent, gazing out into the night. "We have to go and get him," she breathed.  
  
Tamasine shot her a look, "We'll get in so much trouble, Kei..."  
  
"We can't leave him. We should have been more sensitive to him."  
  
"I know... Come on. If we're lucky we'll make it back before dawn." Tamasine swung a cloak around his shoulders and tugged on his boots. Keiko pulled her hair back into a braid and followed suit. The twins slipped down the staircase, through the servant's entrance and ran down the garden, in hot pursuit of Toru.  
  
*** 


	5. Revelation

Revelation.  
  
Toru ran as fast as he could down the slope to the Castle Town. The two guards posted at the entrance would surely return him if he was seen, so instead he climbed over the railings and ran around the gardens of the Temple of Time. The peace of the Temple penetrated his heart and dulled the pain and rage inside him a little.  
  
He slowed past the shrubs on the east side of the Temple and slipped between the Gossip Stones. The symbols of the Sheikah stared at him, and Toru shivered. There were four in a row, almost guarding the entrance to the Temple, making sure one with an impure heart did not climb the steps leading to the great doors.  
  
Suddenly, Toru felt the last threads of his anger and resentment drain away. Almost in a dream, he changed direction and walked past the Gossip Stones towards the Temple. The stone eyes seemed to follow him, allowing him passage.  
  
As Toru began the steps to the doors, he noticed a figure kneeling in prayer at the top of the flight of steps. Her forehead was touched to the cool stones, and in the moonlight Toru could see her long fair hair.  
  
"Cici..."  
  
"Hello Toru. I thought you'd come here. Tonight's the anniversary of when the Hero of Time opened the doors as a child and accidentally allowed Ganondorf to take over Hyrule." Cici's voice was soft and dreamy, almost coming from the Spirit World.  
  
Toru climbed the steps and knelt beside her. The girl sat up and turned her face towards him. Her scar seemed more visible by night, and the dreadful slash stretching across her face made Toru cringe inwardly.  
  
Cici continued with the legend, "He came back you know, seven years later."  
  
"He was my grandfather," said Toru quietly.  
  
"Mine too," whispered Cici. Toru flicked his head up, and was shocked to see Cici's sealed eyes shedding two clear tears. Without quite realising he was doing it, he reached out and took her hand. Cici released a gentle sob.  
  
"How do you know this?" asked Toru.  
  
"I... I don't know," trembled Cici, "It wasn't me speaking then; someone spoke for me." Her voice had returned to its normal level, all traces of dreams vanished. Toru felt a wave of compassion for her, and he hugged her close until she spoke again.  
  
"I always come here to pray every night for my parents, but I never knew them. Then just now, someone spoke to me, but I knew there was no one nearby. They explained my heritage to me, but it was like I was dreaming... maybe I was. It's slowly coming back to me now."  
  
In the pause that followed, a light rain began to fall. The raindrops became individual glistening crystals in the moonlight, and Toru felt Spirits surrounding them. Once he glanced up and thought he saw the twin's father silhouetted against the trees. He wished he'd brought his cloak.  
  
Cici shuddered in another sob under his arms, and he hugged her tight, "What? What is it?"  
  
"I'll... I'll see if I can remember. The Hero of Time, before he married your mother, he got involved with Malon of Lon Lon."  
  
Toru tensed, "Go on."  
  
Cici drew away slightly, "You don't really want to hear this do you?"  
  
"How could you tell?"  
  
"Your voice. You don't want to hear it but you really want to know."  
  
Toru was stunned by her perception of his feelings, but he steeled himself and murmured, "Go on, Cici."  
  
Cici carried on, "Unknown to him, when he left Malon for your mother, he left her with child." Toru realised her voice had changed again; it had slipped back into the ethereal voice that had spoken to him firstly.  
  
"The child's name was Alex. Malon gave him away, wanting to forget she ever knew the Hero. It pained her, but she did it. The Gerudos took him in, eager for new men-thieves. He grew up alongside Katin the sword mistress' daughter, Kayla. The two had a short relationship. When Kayla's father found out that she had given birth to Alex's daughter, he was so angry that he slashed the newborn girl's eyes."  
  
Toru blinked. When his eyelids reopened, the figure sitting cross-legged beside his friend had vanished. He could swear he had seen a small girl, barely older than Cici and himself, explaining Cici's tangled history using her mouth.  
  
There was a moment of silence as the two children took in what had been said. The rain showered them with silver tears.  
  
After a minute, Toru reached out a hand and tucked a length of Cici's soaking hair behind her ear. His other hand gently guided her hand to her ear, and her delicate fingers ran the length of the graceful point.  
  
"Sister..."  
  
***  
  
Keiko and Tamasine sped down the length of the gardens. Keiko stumbled on a pile of broken pottery, and a closer inspection revealed they were roof tiles. She put on a burst of speed, knowing they were going in the right direction.  
  
The twins ran along the ridge above the main gate and Keiko clambered down the vines. Tamasine was about to follow when he suddenly remembered his arm was broken.  
  
"Kei, I can't climb down with this arm."  
  
"Go back inside, Tam. I'll get him."  
  
"Sure? I can find another way down..."  
  
Keiko heard the clinking of armour from the guardhouse, and she shrank into the shadows as a lantern was thrust in her direction. The shivering circle of light only just missed her feet. Satisfied there were no trespassers, the guard returned to the room.  
  
Keiko shot another look up, and Tamasine gestured for her to move. He flashed a smile and was gone, running back to the Castle.  
  
Keiko resumed her run, darting down the path. Like Toru, she did not use the main entrance, but climbed the railings and stole around the gardens of the Temple. The air tasted different here, sweeter than normal. The bushes glimmered with what she thought to be fireflies.  
  
She rounded a corner and crept past the Gossip Stones, when she heard voices from the doors. Peering through the bushes, she saw two figures seated at the entrance. One was unmistakably Toru. Keiko's heart leapt upwards as she recognised Cici's outline and the characteristic tilt of her head. She ploughed forwards towards them, but heard something that made her stop in her tracks.  
  
"Keiko..."  
  
Keiko turned slowly; coming face to face with a kneeling pale-skinned man, whose white hair fell across his red eyes. Moth grinned and caught his daughter in a long embrace, "Shhh, don't tell the Goddesses I'm here, will you?" Keiko shook her head, smiling so hard she thought her cheeks would burst.  
  
"I miss you so much, dad. . ."  
  
"I miss you too, love. I can't tell you how much. I can come now because the barrier between worlds has grown weak with Erion's appearance."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Look, quick, beside your friend."  
  
Moth pointed, and Keiko squinted through the bushes in time to catch a glimpse of a girl sitting cross-legged beside Cici. As she watched, the image faded into a thousand fairies, and then disappeared completely.  
  
"She's Nayru's daughter," whispered Moth into her ear, "She rescued Toru when he was born from drowning in the Lake, and she's been watching over you since you were tiny babes. Strange, I've never heard her speak. Keiko, what were you and Toru doing out here? Where's Tamasine?"  
  
"Tam fell off a horse a the Ranch and broke his arm, so he couldn't come. I'm here because Toru got angry and ran away from us. I came to bring him back, but mother doesn't know yet. We--"  
  
She broke off as Moth's image flickered, "Kei, the barrier's getting stronger again now Erion's vanished. I have to go. See you next Winter, my love!"  
  
Keiko blew him a kiss as he faded completely from Hyrule. She paused a moment, then ran through the bushes towards her brother.  
  
***  
  
"Toru! Cici!"  
  
Toru looked up in alarm and saw his sister running through the gardens towards them, a grin on her face. He smiled too as Cici turned her head and whispered, "Hello Keiko!"  
  
Keiko climbed onto the platform before the doors and hugged them both. "Toru, come back to the Castle, please!"  
  
"With Cici."  
  
"Well sure, but I dunno what mother would say..."  
  
"Kei, she's our sister. It's kind of hard to explain, but we share one grandparent."  
  
Keiko stared at Cici, a smile waiting to be smiled on her face. She embraced her again and kissed her cheek, "I knew it... I knew we were related. Looks like there was a part of your heritage that you don't know about, Cici!"  
  
Toru glanced up and saw that the moon was already gone from above their heads and was sinking in the west, "Come on, we'll have to run."  
  
"Are you sure your mother will believe me?" asked Cici nervously.  
  
"Absolutely. We'll make up some story about why we were out so late, and explain everything. She can ask father too; he was here. He knows."  
  
"Your father was here?"  
  
"Yeah, Toru, and he's your father too, remember?" Toru said nothing, and Keiko opened her mouth to question his silence but thought better of it. Instead she took Cici's hand and they began the journey back to the castle.  
  
*** 


End file.
